Smart Grid News

Government and large businesses work to protect networks from cyber security attacks

SUBNET Solutions Inc | Monday, July 25, 2011

When the biggest and most profitable companies around the globe - along with nearly every government - are working on a similar cause, it signals how exceedingly important it is. According to a published report, such is the case with cyber security measures.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that in May of this year, California-based startup Nicira was broken into by a criminal wearing a ski mask. Instead of making off with expensive equipment, the burglar went directly for a cubicle of one of the company's top engineers, stealing Nicira's source code.

While the local police initially thought it was merely a routine theft, company officials said they suspected something far more nefarious, affirming that they believe the thief was working in conjunction with a foreign government, perhaps China or Russia.

That infiltrations of organizations have become so sophisticated is not surprising considering that computers have soared in popularity over the past few decades. Nearly every task performed by a number of businesses is done digitally, and confidential and sensitive data is often stored on computers.

While the swift rise of computers has brought about a number of positive benefits for society, little work has been done to effectively shape cyber security protocols, according to industry experts. The growing threat of cyber security terrorism has prompted the Pentagon to overhaul its own strategy and it has fueled a number of businesses, especially those in sectors like power generation and transmission, to similarly adopt stricter cyber security measures.

Last year, Google made waves when it announced its servers had been the victim of a coordinated cyber security attack, which compromised the security of GMail accounts of many of its high-profile users, including those involved in human rights campaigns in China.

Google said that Chinese hackers were responsible for the attack, and security firm McAfee asserted that other businesses, including Adobe Systems and Juniper Networks, had been targeted by the hackers.

As more data is transmitted through the internet, utilities are increasing being targeted by hackers across the globe, the Obama Administration recently said. It is a matter of urgent national importance that such companies work to increase their cyber security defenses.